Azure SQL Database

Obtain Connection String

The connection string is a string that contains all the information needed to connect to your Azure SQL Database. You can find this in the Azure portal:

1. Navigate to your Azure SQL Database resource in the Azure portal.
2. In the "Overview" blade, find the "Connection strings" section.
3. Select the tab corresponding to your application's programming language or driver (e.g., ADO.NET, JDBC, PHP).
4. Copy the provided connection string.

Configure Your Application

Integrate the connection string into your application's configuration or directly in your code. For security, it's highly recommended to store connection strings in secure configuration files or environment variables rather than hardcoding them directly in your source code.

using System;
using System.Data.SqlClient;

public class DatabaseConnector
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        string connectionString = "Server=tcp:your_server_name.database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog=your_database_name;Persist Security Info=False;User ID=your_username;Password=your_password;MultipleActiveResultSets=False;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;Connection Timeout=30;";

        try
        {
            using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString))
            {
                connection.Open();
                Console.WriteLine("Connection successful!");

                // Perform database operations here
                // Example: SELECT @@VERSION
                SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand("SELECT @@VERSION", connection);
                SqlDataReader reader = command.ExecuteReader();
                while (reader.Read())
                {
                    Console.WriteLine("Azure SQL Database Version: " + reader[0]);
                }
            }
        }
        catch (SqlException e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error connecting to Azure SQL Database: " + e.ToString());
        }
    }
}
                        

import pyodbc

server = 'your_server_name.database.windows.net'
database = 'your_database_name'
username = 'your_username'
password = 'your_password'
driver= '{ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server}'

# Construct connection string
connection_string = f'DRIVER={driver};SERVER={server};DATABASE={database};UID={username};PWD={password}'

try:
    conn = pyodbc.connect(connection_string)
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    print("Connection successful!")

    # Perform database operations
    cursor.execute("SELECT @@VERSION;")
    row = cursor.fetchone()
    print(f"Azure SQL Database Version: {row[0]}")

except pyodbc.Error as ex:
    sqlstate = ex.args[0]
    print(f"Error connecting to Azure SQL Database: {sqlstate}")

finally:
    if 'conn' in locals() and conn:
        cursor.close()
        conn.close()
                        

Handle Authentication

Azure SQL Database supports various authentication methods:

• SQL Authentication: Using a username and password (as shown in the examples).
• Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Authentication: Recommended for enhanced security and centralized identity management. This often involves using libraries like Microsoft.Data.SqlClient for .NET or specific Azure AD libraries for other languages.

For Azure AD authentication, you'll typically use authentication flows like OAuth 2.0 or Managed Identities for Azure resources.

Secure Your Connection

It is crucial to secure your connection to Azure SQL Database:

• Use TLS/SSL Encryption: Ensure your connection string includes parameters to enforce encryption (e.g., Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;).
• Firewall Rules: Configure server firewall rules in Azure to allow connections only from trusted IP addresses or Azure services.
• Network Security: Consider using Azure Private Link or Service Endpoints for more secure network access.
• Credential Management: Never hardcode credentials. Use Azure Key Vault, environment variables, or application configuration services.